My first YouTube video <3

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OK, I promise I’ll get back to “regular” posting soon! Hopefully over our long weekend. Maybe even this morning, if I can pull together enough coherent words. 😉

I just wanted to leave this here, for those who want to see it…

My first video/vlog (!)

I did it last night, on a 5-year-old desktop Mac that hasn’t been updated in about as long (lol). I was relegated to the most basic of OS-onboard software, with zero editing capability (lol). So, it’s raw and honest. It’s also a bit choppy, both in terms of filming (its desktop is cluttered, and the computer “hangs/freezes” momentarily, every few seconds), and in terms of my “script” (I barely had one, and I’m totally new to this!)

It’s weird, seeing yourself in realtime on a computer monitor. It’s weirder yet to hear your voice being played back to you. Sort of haunting, in a funny way. 😉

The video clocks in at about 4 minutes and 20 seconds. It doesn’t get in-depth on anything, just a “Howdy!” (for my good friend, who will know who he is lol) and a quick intro about where I’m heading with this vlog project. Basically, a rough draft, with no post-production or anything whatsoever. I basically Clicked The Red Button to record, babbled for a few minutes, and then Clicked The Red Button again to stop the video when I was done. It’s me in rawest form, for those of you brave enough (or who are in the mood for a chuckle). 😉

I do indeed tend to write like I talk, and vice versa (usually). I don’t really know any other way, I guess (grin), unless I’m talking in “full-on Texan” (I tend not to write in full-on Texan, though! Lol)

FunFact: I’m stimming under the desk most of the time on the video. I only lift up my hands every so often so that I can talk with them (which I’m convinced is another form of stimming, at least for me, and maybe even for nonautistic people, too! Who knows?)

Another FunFact: I did this video at night, around 10:30pm Central time, from my home office (i.e., the second bedroom in our apartment). The camera records the video backwards, but there’s a small rectangular pillow on one of the bookshelves that says “This is my first rodeo”, which is a Texanism for saying “this is my first time doing something” or “this is the first time I’ve been through this”, etc. It can also be used for calling out someone on BS…

I think the phrase itself is kinda funny, and I think that the pillow being where it was is actually kind of comically poetic! Maybe a funny omen? Maybe I should leave the pillow there for the first few videos, so that I can play the “newbie” card for a while for sympathy? (OK, that’s meant to be humorous!)

Although I stammer and stumble a few times (OK, probably a lot), it’s actually not due to stagefright. I don’t even have stagefright; singing karaoke in local neighborhood bars (either alone on stage or in duet with a friend) basically cured me of that. Bonus: I didn’t even get buzzed on alcohol first; I’m not much of a drinker, so I got up there and sang while Stone-Cold-Sober, with all inhibitions intact. (Lol)

I want to say a big, heartfelt *Thank You* to all who have watched and/or subscribed so far! Your support has been amazing.

And again, I promise to get back to “regular programming” on this blog soon. This is sort of an out-of-the-ordinary blip in the (Silent) Waves. (See what I did there? You know you thought it was funny. 😉 )

Thank you, my lovely! 😘❤️. Hehe maybe now there’ll be sort of a new dimension/angle to the writing; people might be able to “hear” my voice in their heads while reading the blog posts, and maybe this will help foster even more understanding that occasionally gets lost in the written word 😁. Thank you so very much, Alexis! 💜🌟💜

Oh wow!! A fellow Texan! 😁👏🏼👏🏼. Howdy, girl!! I’m in South Texas, home of the Alamo 😉, where Nothing Ever Happens lol. The 7th Largest US City But Everyone Forgets We Exist lol. Except that we like it that way! 😁 Lived in Dallas for 9 years; cool while it lasted, but I had to get out of there 💜 Sounds like you live in a different area than DFW, though 😁😘. Thank you so much for watching, reading, and saying Howdy! Thank you also, bunches and bunches, for your encouraging words, girl! 💜💙💚

It’s a great first video Laina, I’m glad I subscribed straight up yesterday. It was a pleasant surprise when I received an e-mail alert. I didn’t notice your hands were mostly out of shot 😃 Kepp them going 😃

Thank you so, so much!! One day I’ll be brave enough to let my hands fly a little 😉❤️. I plan to do some more recording this weekend, if I can! I’m so happy you liked the video; thank you lots and lots for reading, watching, and commenting! 👍🤗💝💝

Thanks for asking this question, Peter! The short answer is that I’m hiding my true identity (for now) because I don’t want to inadvertently get myself sacked for embarrassing my employer with something I’ve written on my blog. If that doesn’t satisfy your curiosity, I invite you to read the post I’ve actually written that tries to answer the question in more detail. If that post also doesn’t satisfy your curiosity, please let me know and I’ll try to try to customize my explanation to your own needs. 🙂 Here’s the link: https://autistickish.com/2017/09/27/openly-a/

It was really cool to see the person behind your wonderful blog! It was also quite inspiring. I’ve been feeling very tempted to reveal my own “secret identity”, but I really need to resist that urge for now. I started a new job a couple of months ago, it’s going very well, and I really can’t afford to get fired (again). I like what that guy Thomas Weaver said about it sounding like the name of some ancient deity, but golly if it isn’t awkward. Especially when you try to say something like “Autistickish’s dishes”, which nobody should do while infectious. Haha.

soooo cute. without disrespecting anyone (including the woman i love) you look– and sound a little– like an “all growed up” version of one of my favourite exes, who was also from the south, but nowhere near texas. we are good friends so i can probably get away with saying this (we will find out!)

you talk really well for an aspie– i know someone could take that a lot of different ways, sometimes i speak really well and sometimes i sound like bill gates with too much caffeine. your audio is flawless, clear and at just the right volume. not too loud, not mmff*whisper*.

your video is not very choppy, but i can tell you from capturing video myself, a lot of the videos i take (which are perfect) start out with the “choppiness” yours has, until i RE-ENCODE them. i dont make another video, because that wont help. i re-encode it under more ideal settings for playback, and the choppiness either goes away or dramatically improves. of course i dont have fancy equipment or a fancy os from apply, im talking fig os on hardware thats probably 5 years old, at least. nice video! what can i *not* tell you? i cant tell you if you went too fast or not. you were fine from here, though when people talk fast they probably sound pretty normal to me. i didnt say anything about the content, just the technical quality! plus theres a girl in the video! (was there something else?) next video, i may talk about lighting and self-deprecating humour in comments. great first vid! ❤

Sweet!! Thank you so much! Soooo encouraged by your words 😘😘. I’m going to look into the suggestions you made, especially the encoding stuff 😁 I probably won’t get to have it set up by the time I make the second video, because I’ll probably record that this weekend already 😉, but it’s high up on my to-learn list for afterward! Thank you! Your awesome feedback and helpful suggestions are so much appreciated 💚💙💚

Also, I came across this very helpful WP tutorial on video posts. It shows you how to customize the display (resize it, remove the suggested videos that automatically display after your video ends, etc.): https://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/youtube/

And I don’t know if it’s already been suggested, but you could also conduct interviews with, well, anybody you want, really, but I was going to suggest with some of your autistic friends/fans. That could be really useful to help show the world that we don’t all look/sound/act like Temple Grandin or Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rainman. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with the way they look/sound/act of course; but I do think that we need to expand the public circle of understanding beyond these kinds of textbook cases that originally caught the eyes of researchers.

Oooh!! 🤗 All excellent pointers!! Thank you *so* much! I will definitely work them into my YT plans. Nope, I hadn’t seen this tutorial yet, so I’m über-grateful for your link! Going to pull it up as soon as I get home this afternoon 👍🏼😘💖💖

Well that was a surprise. Nice to see and hear you. And well done for getting it done and posted. I’ve filmed a few videos using a DSLR and audio recorder so I know how time consuming they can be. I’m looking forward to many more.

Wow! You sounded comfortable and natural to me, so don’t worry! It was great, Laina! I’m so glad to see this extra side of you!Your accent is not that noticeable, and your flow and charm were both excellent. I loved this!
P.S. You’re easy on the eyes. 😉 I’m so glad to see this extra side of you!

I hear you, my dear one 😘. I’m actually pretty shy, too, so you’re in plenty of company ❤️. It’s taken me this long to even get a video blog started lol 😉. And you notice it’s for our fellow AS peeps, and not for the general audience 😉😘💗💗😎

Laina! This is awesome 🙂 I look forward to watching the videos as they release every week or two. I subscribed! Your accent is as endearing as you are ❤ Please come over to my blog to guest post whenever you want to.

Omg!! What an honor, luv! 🤗🤗💞. Guest posting?! Rock on! 😁🙌🙌. I may just do that! ❤️. Thank you so much for watching, sharing your encouraging feedback, and for the lovely invite! Hat Trick! 🎈. You made my entire evening 💚💙💜💟

Okay, ditzy moment, here, hahahahaa, why the hell did I think you were from the UK? lmao…. *blonde highlights moment*

Lain, omg, this is frickin’ amazing! No smoke being blown. And THANK you so much for starting a youtube channel on ASD. I’ve long since perused all that is out there, so YOUR beautiful face, your INTELLIGENT voice, your ARTICULATE manner in both your speaking and your writing: FANTASTIC!!!

I am an instant fan. Mad props, lady! I cannot wait to subscribe and see more. 💕💖💗🌸💝

Holy shizz girl, thank you so so so much!! I’m cartwheeling!! Your awesomesauce comment totally made my day 😘😘❤️❤️. Lol no worries about thinking I’m from the UK 😉. I’m sort of a linguistic chameleon 😂. I speak Texan, Canadian English, and some British English. Oh and a few Spanish words and phrases here and there. Oh and I also speak Snark Jackhole every so often 😉😂💖. Girl you’re the bomb!! Thank you so much for your encouraging words 😘💖🌟💖🌟💖👍💚💙💜

I feel honored to be among your kickass circle, Laina. When I first met you, I was blown away by your writing, but I was still feeling my way around the whole blogging concept, trying to figure out how to do it. I get super anxious meeting new people but you made it so much easier. Your patience and consistency and friendship from afar has been so amazing for me. I thank you, girl. And, OMG, you got this video stuff down! I’m still too shy to go on video yet, but I will get there someday! Haha, drive on Goddess! xo